Diversus
by Loverofliterature111
Summary: I had my life planned out and my barriers built. I knew what I wanted and wouldn't let anything interfere with those dreams. I was ready to face anything, until I met him. AU & IchiHime
1. Chapter 1

~Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo~

*Mild cursing*

**Diversus**

**Chp 1**

**Laedere**

Sitting in class, I quickly jotted down our history teachers lecture. We had a test next Friday and I could not risk getting anything less than an A. I had goals, plans, for my future. I refused to let anything interfere with said plans. As freshman class president, there was also a lot expected out of me. Even as the bell rang, I continued to take notes until the teacher finally wrapped up her lesson. The class was empty by then and I was still expected to attend my next class. Putting my supplies away in my backpack I began to make my way out of my seat.

"Orihime Inoue," the teacher said my name.

"Yes, Mrs. Oto?" I respond moving towards her desk.

"We still need some volunteers for the tutoring sessions this weekend for students that are failing so early into the school year. It's mandatory otherwise they wouldn't be allowed any credits, there are many students showing up. But we don't have enough tutors, do you mind dropping by?" Mrs. Oto asked adjusting her glasses on her wrinkled face.

"I'll be there," I said smiling, excusing myself I walked to my next class.

My school days went like that; I was either taking notes on a new lesson, doing work, or helping the teacher. My grades were one of my main priorities. Listening to the English teacher repeat yesterdays lesson, I began to daydream. Looking outside the near bye window I felt something poke my rib. Turning my head around I see my best friend Tatsuki scowling.

"Orihime, you're going to get yelled at again for not paying attention!" She whispered.

"Sorry Tatsuki, I'm kind of… bored." I respond.

"What, Orihime bored with school? That's shocking." She faked a surprised face while I had to force myself not to giggle.

"Orihime Inoue, would you like to repeat what I said since you were listening so well in the back?" My name was called once again by a teacher, but this time for an entirely different reason.

Sighing, I put down my pencil and apologized. Looking my teacher dead in the eye, I repeated the same lesson he taught us yesterday. Word bye word, I didn't miss a single fact. I felt the entire class's eyes on me, including my furious teacher. Ignoring me, he went back to the lesson.

Shaking my head, I looked towards Tatsuki who was struggling too hold back her laughter. Identical to a shaking Nel, Rangiku, and Rukia in the back row with there heads in there arms. Turning back around and facing the board, I already knew all of this information. The class period went by extremely slowly, keeping my eyes on the clock I counted down the seconds.

3

2

1

The school bell rang and it was time for lunch. "Finally.." Grabbing my things I walked out of the class ignoring my glaring teacher. Waiting for my friends outside the door, they walked out laughing.

"Way to go Orihime," said a red faced Rukia.

"Yeah Orihime," added Tatsuki.

"You must teach me how you do that," Rangiku said wrapping one of her arms around my shoulder followed by a grinning Nel.

Walking to the tree we normally ate under during lunch, it was me and four of my closest friends. We had known each other since kindergarten and were inseparable. There were numerous different conversations happening all at once, but we managed to be apart of each one. Looking at a boisterous Rangiku who was twirling her strawberry blonde hair with a thin manicured finger, I noticed although she was next to me, her head was in the clouds.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I look up at her; she was a few inches taller than me.

"Its nothing," she said shaking her head. I knew if it was important she would've told us, so I didn't push the issue.

Sitting under the tree, I lied back on the trunk. Freshman year had just started and I was extremely busy with school and my extracurricular activities. With zero period, I was at school from seven am till three pm. Right after that I had club meetings on certain days for an hour, followed by sports. This season its tennis and practice is from five to seven sharp, each minute your late is a lap around the field. I normally finish my homework in class, study and volunteer during the weekends. I was rarely at home, but I was very happy with my routine. I try to make time for my friends usually during weekend nights with sleepovers, which are always fun and unexpected, especially with Rangiku.

"So what are your plans for tomorrow night? I was thinking movies and sleepover at my house, possibly shopping before hand?" Asked Rukia throwing a grape in her mouth.

"Rukia, how long have you known me? I could never say no to you!" Rangiku exclaimed.

"Count me in" added a smiling Nel.

They all looked towards me.

"You coming Orihime?" asked Rukia.

"Sorry Rukia, I'm busy tomorrow," I apologized. It was mostly true, I was busy tomorrow. I would tutor at school during the morning, but I was also broke at the moment. I wasn't legally aloud to work for another two years and our financial situation at home left me struggling. But my friends don't know that, which I am very thankful for.

"Aww, next time then?" Rukia asked.

"Sure," I respond with a small smile.

Eating our lunch, I began to bite my apple while my friends were talking. Rukia made a joke causing us all to laugh. I was happy, school always made me happy. My friends always brought a smile to my face. I was able to be me, able to breathe freely while at school.

"You okay Orihime?" Nell asked me worried.

My eyes were watering and I didn't even notice. "Y-Yeah, allergies you know?" I know, I'm a terrible liar, but I didn't know what else to say. Nell understood, even though I didn't tell her what happened, she didn't push me. Smiling to let her know I was fine, we all went back to talking and laughing like we normally do.

The bell ringing signified the end of lunch, saying goodbye, we all made our way to class. The day seemed to drag on, one of the longest Fridays since the school year started a few weeks ago. Each period went by slower than usual but once school was 'over', I still had many other activities to get to. I went to a few club meetings then to the locker room. Changing into shorts and a T-shirt, I grabbed my racket and went out to practice.

Coach had us do many drills and run laps, but towards the end of practice we played one on one. Running and physical activity always helped me calm down and forget about all the struggles I go throughout the day. Bending down, my hands on my knees, I attempted to catch my breathe. As coach blew his whistle, all the girls made there way to the lockers rooms to change and head home. It was already dark outside, but the sky adorned with many bright small stars was really pretty. I was used to walking in the dark, although it was dangerous it was kind of nice. And Tatsuki had taught me self defense.

I unknowingly took the long way home, my subconscious controlling my body. I didn't want to go home. I wanted to go the opposite way; I wanted to run far far away from it.

Sighing, I reached the front steps of my beaten down house. I had never in my life invited someone over to my home, nobody knew where I lived and I made sure of that. Taking the keys out, I put my ear next to the door to hear what's going on in the inside. Normally there would be yelling or glass breaking, curses freely flying about. But there wasn't any of that, there was no noise. This could mean one of two things, everyone's sleeping or something really bad happened. I was hoping for the former, but with my luck, it's probably the latter.

Slowly shaking the jacked up door knob and opening the door, walking in the aroma of cheap alcohol filled my nostrils. There was glass broken, frames scattered over the floor, the room looked like a mess. Walking further, I wanted to run upstairs and lock myself in my room. My heart beat increased with every step I took and my hands became sweaty. I try to ignore my family at all costs, we don't exactly get along.

Planing to run up the stairs, I first had to pass by the living room where the smell of smoke mingling with alcohol was the strongest. My father was lying on the couch, beer bottles scattered all over the ground, drugs on the table, holding a cigarette with his left hand, and feet plopped on the same table. He was wearing an old T-shirt adorned with stains and holes, his boxers the only other thing on. Thinking he was asleep, I attempted to tiptoe my way up the stairs to prevent him from waking up.

"Where the hell were you," fathers gruffy slurred voice roared throughout the small living room, echoing off the walls and into my ear.

"S-School," I said unable to look him in the eye. I was afraid of him and try to ignore him most of the week. He's usually never home so that wasn't very hard.

Getting up he made his way towards me, I noticed his knuckles were bruised with dried up blood on it. There was also some blood on his shirt. I was frozen in place; he stopped right in front of me. I smelled the alcohol even before I walked into the door and at the moment I was suffocating.

"Is that how you greet your father you ungrateful little shit?" He began to yell at me. I didn't respond, I didn't know what to say. He was drunk and from the looks of it seemed pissed, no matter what I did it would end with him yelling at me or doing something worse. He's unpredictable when he's in this state.

"Well are you going to answer? Cat got your tongue? Is this the shit you learn at school?" He screamed, "ANSWER ME!" He threw the beer bottle at the wall behind me. As it crashed into the wall and shattered, I flinched. My left arm stung, but I ignored it. I tried to say something back, but my mouth wasn't cooperating. "I SAID ANSWER ME," and he hit me. The force of the hit caused me to slam into the wall behind me that the previous glass's fate was met by.

The right side of my face was numb and I felt a metallic taste in my mouth. With shaky fingers, I touched the area in pain. I flinched and my eyes began to tear up.

"She left me, that bitch left me. After all that I've done for her. That fucking slut walked out on me with another man, a dealer." Father said pulling his hair and kicking the couch hard enough to leave a dent in it, "She left me with her fucking kid. Ha, who the fuck does she think she is?" He began to yell louder. _Oh no, not again. _While he ventured into the kitchen to get another beer, I saw my chance. I tried to get up, but I felt a sting in my left arm. Sprinting upstairs I locked the door behind me and began to cry. I was only fourteen, this has been going on since I could remember. Mom tried to get away numerous times when brother and I were little. But she would always come back, she said he changed. We would always believe her. But it would get worse each time. Sora was a few years older then me and he was the one supporting the family. Mother couldn't find a job and Sora was still too young to legally work. I could barely walk and all my father cared about was beer. So Sora ended up dropping out of school his freshman year and joined a gang. He made money and fast, paying off the bills and fathers alcohol. I was only three at the time, but Sora was financially keeping us stable, helping us. Father was still abusive, but Sora would try his best to prevent him from hurting us. Sora carried a gun on him, I remember touching it once. He wold always lock me in my room with mom during the day and go to 'work', while all father did was drink beer downstairs and watch TV. Sometimes mom would spend the day with him and they would do stuff, but I didn't know what it was at the time. Around the time I was six, Sora was still a part of the gang. He spent more time with them then with me but he had no choice. I was okay with it, because he kept me safe and away from father.

Sora had threatened father saying if he ever touched me, Sora would kill him. I asked Sora once when I was younger why he wouldn't take me with him; I was at the verge of tears. He told me it was to protect me, saying he would never forgive himself if I were to get into gang related business because of him. That day he made me promise to always try my hardest at school, get good grades and a scholarship to a nice school. He made me promise to get away from this house and build a nice future away from violence. I asked Sora if he would come with me so we could start our new futures together. That was the first time I saw him openly _sad. _He always smiled when around me; put an effort in not showing his own discomfort and doubt to protect me. But this time was different.

"Sora, will you move away with me?" I asked my older brother gripping on to the teddy bear he gave me.

"I-I'm sorry hime, its late. You have to sleep and I need to get to… work," he kissed me on my forehead and tucked me in. He looked so broken. I fell asleep holding his hand with a death grip, he didn't leave until my breathing became even.

Later that year, mom got hooked on a few expensive drugs. She began going out more and the fights with my father grew. Sometimes Sora would interfere and stop them but not without getting a few scrapes himself. Sora would then walk into my room and pull me out from under my bed and put me to sleep. I felt so safe with him, I would always hold on to him tightly and cry until I fell asleep. But, when I woke up in the morning he would be gone. Sora tried to find time to visit me, but he was always doing things he couldn't back out of. As school picked up, I was home less and less. Father hadn't touched me physically for years but he would still hit mother. I tried to interfere once when I was ten, but then father raised his hand to hit me. Mother blocked it with her body. I cried myself to sleep that night under my bed.

Mother slowly began to change until she became a shell of what she once was. Sora tried his best to take her to rehab, but she refused. And now she's gone.

I saw Sora last week, but he said he was going out of the country until next month. So here I was now, sitting behind my locked door in tears, hurting all over. It had been years since father hit me, and now he did. I didn't have anyone, I would never risk any of my friend's safety and Sora was too far away to call. Calming down, my trebling finally stopped. Looking up at the clock, I saw it was nine. I had to get up early for school tomorrow…

Finally building the energy to get up, I opened up my closet and brought down a safety kit. Going into the bathroom I looked at my reflection in the mirror.

My hair was in a messy bun, fly aways here and there. The lower right side of my face was slightly swollen and a pinkish color. I had bit my tongue when father hit me, so the inside of my mouth was bleeding. _Great. _My left arm had a few shards of glass stuck in it. As I began to remove the shards with tweezers, I flinched each time. It hurt. It hurt a lot. Finally finishing up and cleaning my wounds, I took a long shower.

The water that hit my injuries stung, but I had no choice. An hour later I stepped out and wrapped myself in a towel. Drying myself, I wrapped my left arm and slipped on a T-shirt. I moved my heavy dresser to block my bedroom door and grabbed the teddy bear Sora gave me when I was very little. Touching the snowflake hair pins on my head, I slowly fell into a deep sleep.

I was woken up to the sunlight seeping through my bedroom window. Getting ready for school, I stepped into the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror as I did last night. My face was less swollen, but it hurt even worse that last night. The bottom right side of my face was a dark almost blue color. Changing the bandages on my arm, I prepared myself for school. Wearing some concealer on my face to cover up the bruise, I flinched each time I passed the brush over that area. Finally approving of my looks, I moved the dresser away from my door. The thundering snores of my father were heard all the way upstairs. Quickly, yet silently making my way downstairs, I held my breath until I reached the outside of the door.

On my walk to school, I couldn't prevent from trembling. It could have been so much _worse._ The minute I passed by the gates of Karakura high, the smile was back on my face and the trembling was gone. I was at my _home,_ my_ haven, _my_ safe place. _

Making my way towards the library where the tutoring would take place, I spoke with Mrs. Oto about what she wanted me to do.

"Oh, Orihime! Thank you so much for coming!" She hugged me, slightly brushing against the right side of my face, I prevented myself from flinching.

"No problem, where would you like me to go?" I asked.

"It's actually one of my students, failing all there classes. I personally assigned him to you because I knew you were one of the only students who might be able to handle him. And I'm sure you might be able to make a difference with that pretty face of yours!" she winked at me causing me to blush. I wondered if people were able to see me blushing with the amount of concealer I had to wear to cover the bruise. "He should be sitting at a table in the backside of the library."

Nodding, I began to make my way to the back of the library. The windows were opened and it was so quiet, it brought peace to me. Looking around the library my eyes finally fell upon a boy in a desk in the far corner of the room. With a head full of bright orange hair, he was scowling and seemed unapproachable. I haven't seen him around the school before? Making eye contact, it was like something inside of me flickered awake. It was like a jolt of electricity, his gaze was drilling holes into me and I felt uncomfortable under his gaze. His scowl seemed to harden and he looked so… silly.

I began to laugh, hard. My face hurt so badly but I couldn't stop.

"Who the hell are you?" He barked at me.

"O-Orihime Inoue," I finally calmed down. Wow, that really hurt my face... "I'll be your tutor."

His scowl deepened and I forced myself to not laugh. I think I offended him and at the moment my cheek still hurt. "What's your name?" I questioned politely.

"Ichigo Kurosaki." He responded.

"It's nice to meet you Ichigo, I hope I can help," I reached out my hand and had a small smile on my face.

He seemed surprised for a moment and stared at my hand in the air.

"It's okay Ichigo, I don't bite." I giggled. He scowled making eye contact with me once more. Reaching out he shook my hand. His larger, rougher hands against my smaller softer hands felt… weird.

"So what assignments do you have to make up?" I moved to sit in front of him.

"…All of them, I haven't exactly done any work for the past few weeks." Sighing, he ran his hands through his orange locks.

"Let's start, shall we?" I smiled at him while pulling out my notes.

He glared at me, his face adorned with his silly scowl.

**Thank you so much for reading this story! Comments and Reviews are always appreciated! I'll try to update as soon as I find time! If you were curious about what my titles mean, I'm a huge dork when it comes to greek and latin root words... Diversus actually means different, while laedere means hurt. If you have any advice or questions feel free to message me/comment :)**

**until next time, **

**loverofliterature_111**


	2. Chapter 2

**~Bleached is owned by Tite Kubo~**

**Thank you for reading this story! I would also like to thank those who commented, I had everything planned out and there are many questions I received through messages and comments. There are answers to the questions that were asked, you just have to keep reading! The characters are a OOC in the beginning but as the story unravels so do they, eventually coming to the original aspect of each normal character in the canon. I'd like to apologize, I kind of forgot to write an authors note like I normally do. Enjoy the update :)**

previous chapter...

"So what assignments do you have to make up?" I moved to sit in front of him.

"…All of them, I haven't exactly done any work for the past few weeks." Sighing, he ran his hands through his orange locks.

"Let's start, shall we?" I smiled at him while pulling out my notes.

He glared at me, his face adorned with his silly scowl.

**Chp 2**

**Milk **

It hadn't even been an hour and we were already done. The entire time I sat there I kept questioning myself, who is this kid? He didn't need my help nor any assistance now that I think about it. He barely said two words to me since we've met and he's kept his calm façade the entire time.

"Where should I turn these in?" he questioned, scowl plastered on his face.

"I'll turn it in for you, do you need anything else?"

"No." picking up his back pack he left.

Who is this kid?

On my walk home, I couldn't help but think about Ichigo Kurosaki. I'd never seen him around school; everything about him seemed like a mystery. And his face, the scowl he was making… Sora would always make that same face when I was younger, his attemptions to make me laugh. It worked every time.

Once I reached my block, I stood by the beaten down stop sign. I lifted my hand to my injured cheek, lightly grazing my fingers over it. This mark was of him being _gentle. _I remembered, all those times he hit mother. Her skin would be torn by the friction of his fists alone. In the end, she would always be the one to apologize. I never understood, why would you apologize to him if he's caused you so much pain?

in the beginning, mom still wanted us to have a better life. We ran away, multiple times. Sora would always scrape a few bucks here and there until we had enough to pay for a train, mom had some distant relatives that lived in the near by city. They would support us, they promised. They said they would be there for us until Sora finished school and was old enough to work, they said they'd help until mom found a stable job. They became my good parent figures, taking the place of my alcoholic of a father. But every time, mom would somehow find connections to father again. He promised to change; he said he missed us all. She'd believe him each time. Mother's relatives warned her, but she never believed them. The same cycle would go on, constantly restarting. The last time mom tried to run away, before Sora joined the gang, we found out that mom's distant relatives moved away. That was when Sora lost all hope and risked his own safety and freedom to find mom's and mine.

Would I ever regret what father did to us? Would I ever want to change my past? No, I wouldn't. Call me a fool, but my past shaped me. The person I am today was all thanks to the obstacles I went through; it formed me and my strength, my goals and my will. My past led to me to crave a better future. I would've loved it if it was different, if nobody was hurt, but I can never change that.

Sighing, I kept the last twinge of hope alive inside of me. Only a few more years, I can get a job, eventually I'll finish school, build a future for myself. Sora's trying his best to help and he is, he pays the bills on time. He doesn't have much money left over but he still tries to find free time to be there for me. I would be lying if I said I didn't miss him, but he's so deep in what he joined, its to crawl out. One of these days, one day, I'll be the one to help him like he did to me. He wont ever have to be part of a deadly gang again and I'll be the one supporting us. We'll move into a big house together and live like a happy, normal family. I don't care how cliché or hopeless my dreams sounded, I will achieve them **one day.**

With a small smile on my face I turned away from my house I wasn't needed nor did I want to be any where near said premises. Walking to the near by Karakura Lake, I sat there on the grass the rest of the day. The slight breeze glazing over me did wonders to my cheek; it was as if it was magically healing it. _Magic. _I began to laugh, hmm who knows?

As the sun began to disappear, none of it clicked in my head. I was at peace and it was really nice. The scenery was beautiful and the weather was amazing. It didn't bother me I was still outside in the dark; it was a much safer place than my _home, _if it could even be called that. Looking into the water, I fell asleep on the spot.

The sound of thunder awoke my from the nightmare I was having. Lifting my upper body off the ground, sitting comfortably, I began to look around. It was still kind of dark, probably around early morning. Raking my fingers over the prickly grass and slightly damp ground, a sense of reassurance ran over me. The feel of water on my face caused me to lift my head up. _Rain. _I loved the rain… Slowly lifting my self off the ground, the sound of thunder once more roared throughout the sky, followed by robust shower. Plunging down from the grey clouds, I was instantly soaked, my clothing and hair attached to my body acting like a second skin. I had no choice but to go home, being said, I was still not going to waste my time. Running home, I jumped in near by puddles and twirled about on the empty streets. The cry of thunder blended in to the background whilst the flash of lightning roamed about, bolts of electricity shooting from the sky. It was like _magic. _With hand movements I felt like I was the one controlling the scenery, like a play coming alive before my dazed eyes. The smile on my face fell as I saw the familiar street sign, I was _home._

Entering the threshold, I silently tried to open the door. Carefully stepping in, the sound of my wet feet pattering on the ground formed puddles. Father was gripping a beer bottle asleep on the couch, wearing the same clothing as the other day I tried to ignore him. He hadn't washed the blood of his hands which was now a dark brown color. Prowling upstairs, I locked myself in my room. Opening my window, the sounds of nature brought a smile once again to my face. I felt the drops of rain fly through my window, comforting me. Sitting in my wet clothes, I didn't move from that position until morning. I had a strong immune system and wasn't worried about a cold. As the sky seemed to brighten a shade, the clock struck eight. It was still raining, a bit harder than last night. Moving from my position, I opened my bathroom door. Flicking the light on, I looked at my reflection.

With my hair and clothing plastered to my face, the collar of my white shirt had the remnants of my concelear, curtsy of the rain. My purplish bruise was a sight for sore eyes, ignoring it; I stripped out of my clothing and stepped into the warm heat of my shower.

Locked in the safety of my bedroom, I spent the rest of the day doing homework and studying for upcoming tests. I wasn't very hungry but had a few water bottles in my room. I would occasionally look out my window at the pouring water. I had a craving to go outside, but wouldn't risk going downstairs with my father awake in the house. I had received a few texts from my friends, but they were just asking if I wanted any food or clothing from the stores they had gone to. I politely rejected. They were curious as to where I lived and have always wanted to meet my parents. I just told them my parents didn't like company over and I'd be grounded if I had friends come to my house. They knew I wasn't very close to my parents but they didn't know the reasons behind it. I never talked about my parents, but I always did about my brother.

My hero.

My savior.

My lifeline.

I promised Nel I'd let her meet him one day. Rangiku asked about what he looked like, numerous times actually. Something about her friends having hot older siblings. She then evilly smirked at Rukia who lived with her older 'brother', who was really her brother-in-law.

All in all, it was a new day spent in the isolation of my room, the scenery outside accompanying me. I fell asleep on the floor later that night, my textbooks opened up, papers scattered over the floor.

It was Monday morning and there seemed to be no stop to the rain outside. Waking up early like every other school day, I prepared myself for class. With my concelear on and my school uniform, I wore my brother's rain jacket that was two sizes too big on me. My bag was hung over my shoulder as I grabbed an umbrella, normally I wouldn't care about this weather, but I couldn't let the rain wash off the make up I applied to my face. The bruise may be of controversy and I've never been a very good liar. I didn't have to worry about the bruises on my arms, for my long sleeved button up covered it for me. Opening the lock on my door I quickly walked downstairs. The same sight of my father greeted me as I left.

On my short walk to school, I had the umbrella at an angle so the water didn't touch my face. Once I reached the doors of my school, all my worries seemed to wash away with the rain as it did the other day. Walking to my locker, I grabbed my necessary books and dropped my umbrella inside of it. Making my way to class, my normal school day began. Once zero period was over, I made my way to my next class. Waiting for Tatsuki by the locker she shared with Rukia, I got a glimpse of the two on the other side of the crowded hall.

With the weather outside, all the students had no choice but to stay inside. As they grabbed there books, we made our way to class. We passed by Rangiku talking to one of her good friends, Gin Ichimaru by his locker. We saw all the football players huddled up together going over the upcoming game, vice captain Renji Abarai in the middle next to the captain, Grimmjow Jaggejaquez. Across from them stood the cheerleaders giggling, the captain was no where to be seen for we already passed Rangiku. But the vice captain, Nel, was there. Waving at her, she waved back. Normally she would run up to us, greeting with one of her tight hugs, but someone had to keep the enthusiastic cheerleaders under control.

Tatsuki nodded to her fellow karate kids while Rukia did the same with the honorable noble freshman she occasionally talked to due to business merges thanks to Byakuya, especially during the dinner parties her brother hosted. They were a cocky and aristocratic bunch, but they had there moments and were nice to me. Passing by all the different groups we see on a day to day basis, we made it to first period. Rukia's classroom was across from ours. We still had a few minutes until the bell rang, so Tatsuki was standing around my desk. History with Mrs. Oto was very… interesting to say the least, it wasn't her, no she was a very kind older lady. It was the class, we were all so different, but managed to get along. Chizuru, a fellow student of mine, who was also very _touchy, _greeted my with her normal hug.

"Hime, I missed you sooo much!" exclaimed Chizuru with hearts in her eyes.

"Good morning Chizuru!" I attempted to say, my air supply slowly deteriorating due to the ferocity of the hug.

"I'll count to two and you'll get off her Chizuru," Tatsuki threatened with fire behind her eyes. That was Chizuru's warning before Tatsuki transitioned from using her words to her fists. Chizuru let go of me with a scowl on her face, mumbling under her breath as she moved to her desk in the front. Gulping for air I lifted my hand to my heart, "Thanks Tatsuki."

"No problem Hime."

As Mrs. Oto made her way to the classroom, she was followed by an orange haired boy who moved to the back corner. The students all sat in there seats and stopped talking, Keigo's voice broke through the silence.

"ICHIGO YOU CAME, OH I MISSED YOU SOOO-"he was interrupted with a fist.

"Hey Keigo," Ichigo responded bringing his arm back down.

"Mr. Asano, you should really try to come up with a new way of greeting our friends," Mizuiro added, busy on his phone.

"Ichigoo, long time no see, how ya been?" a boy named Shinji began to speak in a sing song voice.

Ichigo nodded and sat in the empty desk. All eyes were on them, but they didn't seem to care. As Mrs. Oto began to go over the lesson, all the students shifted there gaze to the board. I was having trouble concentrating on the lesson for the very first time that year, with the rain outside, my attention kept shifting to the orange haired boy who sat on the other side of the classroom. _Who is Ichigo Kurosaki?_

At the end of class, we all made our way out of the room. There was a large puddle near the doorway with muddy foot prints everywhere. Attempting not to fall, I moved to my next class. Rukia met up with us as we joined the rest of our friends. This was one of the few classes we all had together and it was also one of my favorite classes, although the teacher didn't seem to like me very much. I had the third, at times fourth, highest grade in our freshman class. The first place was either Toshiro Hitsugaya or Uryu Ishida. The third place was Nemu Kurotsuchi, daughter of our chemistry teacher and sometimes me.

As Nel and Rangiku were ecstatically talking about the upcoming football game, I was closely paying attention to the conversation. Nel was begging us all to come, but she was interrupted by a loud voice.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, and where have you been the past few weeks? Trying to ignore me Berry?" A wickedly smiling Grimmjow said, his cocky confidence felt around the room.

"Bastard I told you not to call me that," a vein on Ichigo's forehead began to tick as he tightened his fists. This didn't go unnoticed by Grimmjow, before a fight broke out, the teacher walked through the doors causing the rest of the class to move to there seats.

Why do I feel like every one knew who he was except me? Trying to ignore that for now, I forced myself to pay attention; I didn't need to have the English teacher yell at me again any time soon. As he followed his normal routine, I was having trouble staying awake. The bell ringing caused me to jump in my seat.

"You okay there Hime?" asked Rukia with a knowing smile on her face.

"Now I am," I said with a light blush.

"Lets go to the cafeteria, I don't think the rains going to quite down anytime soon," added Rangiku.

"I'll pick the table were sitting at, but I'll meet you guys there, lets go Rukia, Tatsuki!" Nel excitedly said grabbing both girl's wrists.

"Where are you guys going?" Asked a curious Rangiku.

"We're going to see Ichigo! We haven't talked to him in a while." Tatsuki said with a frown on her face.

"I missed him!" Nel exclaimed as Rukia nodded.

"The cute new kid with orange hair?'' Rangiku questioned further with a dangerous smirk on her face.

"He's not new Rangiku," Rukia frowned, "he came to school the first week but I guess things came up. His schedule got changed and now we have classes together."

"I see, well don't let me hold you back," Rangiku winked at the three girls.

"He's just a friend Rangiku, see you later," added Tatsuki.

As the three walked out, Rangiku turned to me. "Let's have some fun of our own Orihime!"

"Sure Rangiku." I smiled.

Walking out of the room to the cafeteria with Rangiku, she began to tell me all about the things she did this weekend. Making our way into the large cafeteria, we found Tatsuki, Nel, and Rukia all laughing near an arguing Grimmjow and Ichigo. Chad, a tall quiet freshman was eating his lunch next to the pair. Keigo was whining while Mizuiro was on his phone, a smirking Shinji recording the pair of colorful headed teens, waiting patiently for a fight. Another argument was going on between Ikaku Madarame, Renji Abarai, and Yumichika Ayasegawa. It was a sight to see.

As I was about to turn to Rangiku to comment on the large group, Gin Ichimaru beat me to it.

"Rangiku, hey can I have some help with… math?" he smirked; he seemed like a very _different_ man, kind of on the scary side. I didn't personally know him, but Rangiku and Gin were pretty close.

"Yeah, I'll see you later Orihime?" She turned to me, apologizing with her eyes.

"Of course, go ahead!" I smiled, I knew they weren't doing 'math', we've all had our suspicions for a while now and I am positive there's something going on between the two.

Turning around I was going to make my way to the lunch line to grab a snack, the person a few feet in front of me slipped over a large indoor puddle. Their lunch seemed to fly in the air; I could see everything in slow motion. As there milk soared, I found myself rooted in place. The contents flew fell over me. I could feel the stickiness already in my hair, the layers of makeup I blended on my face this morning began to rapidly trickle down my face. Any minute now the purple bruise that took up half the side of my lower cheek would be seen by all. I wouldn't know how to explain it, especially to my friends let alone my teacher. I heard laughter erupt throughout the cafeteria. Grabbing my injured cheek so nobody would see, I flinched and ran.

What will Hime do?

Why was Ichigo gone for so long?

Since when did milk fly?

You'll just have to keep reading to find out!

**Thank you for reading this story! If you have any advice or feedback, feel free to review or comment! I'll try to update as soon as possible!**

**until next time,**

**loverofliterature_111**


	3. Chapter 3

~Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo~

**Enjoy the update!**

previous chapter...

Turning around I was going to make my way to the lunch line to grab a snack, the person a few feet in front of me slipped over a large indoor puddle. Their lunch seemed to fly in the air; I could see everything in slow motion. As there milk soared, I found myself rooted in place. The contents flew fell over me. I could feel the stickiness already in my hair, the layers of makeup I blended on my face this morning began to rapidly trickle down my face. Any minute now the purple bruise that took up half the side of my lower cheek would be seen by all. I wouldn't know how to explain it, especially to my friends let alone my teacher. I heard laughter erupt throughout the cafeteria. Grabbing my injured cheek so nobody would see, I flinched and ran.

**Chp 3**

**Bathroom**

Ignoring the voices of my friends behind me, I had to get away. Jumping over the brown puddles in the long hallway, I began to near the bathroom. Making a sharp right curve and quickly opening the door, I made my way to the mirror.

And in fact staring back at me was the dark bruise. The milk dried up and left behind a sticky residue from my hair to the collar on my shirt. Most of it was splattered on my top, now transparent with my pink bra easily seen. I felt gross and was a need of a shower, but before I could think any more about it, rapid footsteps began to increase and near towards the door. Before said door opened, I made my way into a cramped stall.

"Orihime, where are you?" asked Rukia

"Hime?'' Questioned Nel.

"Are you okay?" Added a worried Tatsuki while Rangiku began opening the stalls, finally finding one locked.

"Orihime, come on open up! You don't have to worry about anything… it was an accident! We yelled at all those asses in the cafeteria and each and every single one of them better apologize to you today. And the kid who "dropped" their food on you now has a black eye; you don't have to hide away!" Rangiku said form the other side of the hall.

Now I was even more worried. It was an accident! And now some poor kid had to deal with the wrath of my over protective yet loving and completely amazing friends. Normally I would 'hide' away from them for something like this, but I actually had something to hide. And at the moment that something was screaming for attention on my face.

"I-Its nothing to worry about you guys! Hehe, it was my fault, I could've moved!" I tried to reassure them, lightly covering the bottom of my face with my left hand.

"Bs Orihime, that was not you're fault and don't you dare to else to not worry about you!" Yelled a furious Tatsuki, her eye brows scrunching, scowl becoming deadly.

"Orihime, its fine, please don't hide from us," a said Nel added. I immediately felt guilty.

"M-my shirt…" I began.

"I'll get you an extra I keep in my locker," said Rukia, "I'll be back in a few minutes," a light yet quick footsteps were heard, a door swiftly shutting.

Sighing, well I have one part of then 'issue' fixed. Now there's the real reason I'm in the bathroom…

"R-Rangiku, N-Nel?" I said.

"Yes?" They said in unison.

"I-I'm… b-breaking out," quickest thing I could come up with on the spot, "Will you guys please let me borrow some of your concealer ?"

"Of course, just give us a second. We'll get it from our locker!" as Rukia did a second ago, the pair exited the bathroom.

"Hime, what's wrong?" Asked Tatsuki.

"What do you mean?" I began to worry, she couldn't possibly know?

"Orihime, you never wear makeup…" a sigh was heard from the other side of the stall.

"O-Oh…" I didn't know what to say.

"Orihime… Concelear wont hide milk stains… You don't have to be embarrassed, I bet this has happened to hundreds of people."

I had to suppress my laughter, "Okay Tatsuki, will you wet a napkin for me?" She did and passed it under the stall. Wiping away the sticky residue on my cheek and drying it, I couldn't help but flinch. Trying to suppress a grunt, I bit my tongue.

"We're back!" Rukia, Nel, and Tatsuki added from the other side. Passing me the concealer and shirt under the stall, I grabbed it. The extra shirt Rukia had was Rangikus, she forgot it at Rukia's house when they had a sleep over. So I didn't have to worry about that not fitting. Quickly applying the concelear and stripping out of my slightly damp shirt, I threw on the white button up. Thanking the gods above for my bra being dry, I slipped the shirt on. Walking out of the bathroom slowly, I smiled at my friends.

"Thanks you guys," I handed Rangiku her make up.

"You shouldn't be thanking us Hime, it's our job," was heard by them.

"Now lets get that milk out of your hair,'' a motherly Nel grabbed my hand and walked me to the sink. As she was helping me wash out the milk, Rukia began to speak.

"Orihime, I'm pretty sure something like this happened when we were in elementary school." Rukia said shaking her head.

"No it didn't! I was running with my lunch and didn't know the bottle was open…" I said. We all began to laugh, forgetting about the incident for the time being. As the milk residue was finally out of my hair, the bell rang.

"Let's go to class," Said Nel. Saying good bye to our friends, our school day began once more. On the walk to class, many people shifted there gaze away from me except a few. My friends must've really scared them…

As Nel was about to say something, she was interrupted by the captain of the football team. "Eh, princess. You a milk magnet er what?" Commented a smirking Grimmjow. Backpack hanging off his right arm, foot bal held in the other.

"Grimmjow don't be mean! Apologize to Orihime," a frowning Nel said.

"What Nel?" asked Grimmjow, smirk turning down to a frown.

"You're being mean apologize," she said. "It's fine Nel, its just Grimmjow," I tried to grab her hand and pull her back to class. She was surprisingly strong, keeping us in place. Nel huffed, "Grimmy stop being mean!" Nel added. Grimmy?

"Nel! She knows I'm joking, calm down!" Grimmjow ignored the _lovely _nickname.

"Grimmjow," Nel began.

"Sorry Orihime, ya happy now?" He said turning towards Nel and I. "Its all good." I responded. "Don't do that again Grimmy," Nel said and began to walk away, leaving behind an upset Grimmjow.

"Damn, Grimmjow. You just let a girl man handle you." Ikaku said walking from his locker across the hall.

"Shut the fuck up," Grimmjow barked.

The rest of my classes went by normally, practice and the club meetings were canceled due to the rain. Walking to my locker and grabbing my umberella, I began to walk out of the school with my friends. I didn't really feel like going home so I accompanied them. Waiting outside the fence, Rukia's chauffeur pulled up. "You guys need a ride?" Asked Rukia turning to us. "YES!" an exited Rangiku responded back. "Thank you, but its fine. You know I love walking in the rain!" a happy Nel said. "Nel, you'll get a cold." Scolded Rukia. "No I won't! I wore layers!" Nel said, nodding her head up and down. "It's cool, I have to go to my grandmas house. My parents are picking me up," Tatsuki said, "I'll see you guys tomorrow!" she began to run to her parent's car.

"Thank you Rukia, but I'll walk with Nel. Her house is also on the way to mine!" I moved next to a smiling Nel. "Are you guys sure?" Rukia further questioned with a scowl on her face. We both nodded. "Alright you guys, be careful and make sure you stay on the SIDEWALK." We both once more nodded. "See you tommrow!" Rukia and Rangiku said as they made their way to the car. Waving to them, Nel and I began our walk home. We talked about our days, minus the milk accident, and Nel told me about the plans she had this weekend. She once more asked me to come to the football game, agreeing, she began to squeal.

"Yay Orihime! You'll love it, I promise! We have this new routine too! And you and the other girls can come sleep over at my house that same day, we'll have lots of fun like we always do, I promise." She swore to me. "Sure Nel!" I said back. Moving on to our conversation regarding school, Nel began to talk about Ichigo Kurosaki. "Oh Orihime! You must meet him, Itsyugo is super nice! And he's funny too and really smart, he used to tutor me!" I turned to face Nel after I heard the nickname she gave Ichigo, Nel and her nicknames, they were always the best of the best. "Mhmm," I responded, "Ichigo does seem pretty smart, do you know why he hasn't been coming to school?" I asked. "I'm not sure, I think something may have came up? But I'm not positive, it doesn't really seem like him. He's usually on top of his grades and sports, he's not the 'ditching' type." Nel said, a tone of worry underlying the sentence. "I'm sure it's probably that, he seems like a good person and doesn't look like the type to ditch." After I said that, I saw she visibly relaxed. Finally reaching Nel's house, the laughter came to an end. "I'll see you tomorrow Hime!" Nel said walking to her house. "Bye! See you tomorrow!" I waved. I finished my homework in my last class of the day, so I didn't have to worry about that. I didn't want to go home, so I chose to walk around and let my feet take me where they pleased.

Kicking a grey pebble, I kept my gaze on the wet ground. A few shades darker thanks to the rain, there was not a single dry piece of land. Making my way to the Karakura lake like the other day, I really wanted to witness the water from the sky meeting the water in the lake. It was a beautiful scene.

Finally reaching it, I saw I wasn't alone. By the lake, sat a black umbrella shading someone, a speck of dark orange was visible. It seemed even before I saw their face, I knew who it was.

"Ichigo, what are you doing here?" the question slipped my mouth even before I though of it, my feet on autopilot. "I could ask you the same," he responded not looking at me but the flooding lake. "I really like this place, it's… nice." I said moving towards him. "So you just gonna stand there er what?" He questioned. Placing my backpack on the ground, I sat on it. Looking over it at him, I noticed something different about him. I looked away quickly when I noticed I was staring so long. Looking off into the lake, I finally noticed he wasn't wearing his trademark scowl. He seemed tense and a feel of sadness was emanating off of him. "Are you okay from today?" He asked turning to me, meeting his gaze I was confused. "What do you mean?" I asked tilting my head.

"…the milk incident."

"Oh! Yeah, I'm completely fine, always am!" I said, knocking on my head.

"That's good," he turned back to the water.

"…Thanks," I added after a while of silence, he nodded, still scowless. "Umm, Ichigo? Are you okay?" I asked.

"I guess," sighing, he responded.

"I know we've just met and all, but do you want to talk about it?" I questioned.

"It's nothing," He said.

"O-Okay, well if you need anything, I'll always be here for you," I said, meaning every word of it.

He finally looked towards me, "Thanks Orihime," I smiled.

We sat down together in the silence, the rain falling from the sky the only noise. It was kind of nice, his presence. I don't know how long we were there, but before I knew it, the sun set. The rain seemed to pour down even faster and harder, turning towards me, Ichigo got up. "I'll walk you home," he said giving me a hand up. Dusting my skirt and picking up my wet backpack, I responded. "Thank you, but it's alright."

"Orihime, its dark, I'm walking you home." He said, the sadness that was surrounding him seemed to disappear, his face adorned with a scowl.

"It's fine Ichigo, thank you though! I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself," I said smiling. The scowl on his face seemed to deepen. "I'm sure you have a family to go to also Ichigo, you should be with them not me."

"Orihime, it's late a-"

"Okay, how about you walk me halfway home? A compromise?" We were both too stubborn for our own good.

"Fine," he sighed in defeat.

Beginning our walk, we were side by side. I began to ramble on about my day as the sound of the rain became louder. Ichigo nodded every few minutes. Finally reaching the half way point I stopped and turned towards him.

"Thank you, Ichigo," I said giving him a large smile.

"No problem, Orihime, are you sure you don't want me to walk you all the way?" He further questioned.

"It's all good Ichigo, see you tomorrow! And thanks again!" I began to make my way home as he turned around.

Jumping in a few puddles, I played in the rain on the end of my street. Dropping my umbrella on the grass, I looked into the sky. It didn't last so long thanks to the rain, but I was enjoying myself. As the minutes became hours, I walked to my door. All the lights were on and I could hear the TV playing from the other side of the door. I knew I would get yelled at if father was awake, possibly worse especially if I go home looking like I just took a shower with my clothing on. So I waited at the door step, sitting down with my ear at the threshold, I waited until he turned the TV and the lights shut off. Around an hour later, it seemed he fell asleep. Taking my keys out and slowly opening the door, I followed my normal routine of entering the house. Careful to not make any noise, I quickly walked to my room. Locking the door behind me, I looked at my clock. _1:29. _I would eventually have to wake up in a few hours, but I needed to take a shower.

As I walked into my bathroom and turned the heated water on, I waited for my tub to fill. Once I saw the full tub and steam rising, I took off all my clothing and stepped in. My cool skin that had goosebumps minutes before relaxed, the heat penetrating into my very core calming my nerves. Sighing I leaned back and closed my eyes.

Opening them up, I was in a garden. There were plants of all varieties. All my friends were standing by me on one side, my brother in the middle next to mother by a large house. They were all smiling and looked happy. We were all together. I wanted to move towards them, but I couldn't. As I saw them slowly disappear, the flowers wilting, I began to call out Sora's name. Gagging on water, my eyes flew open. I fell asleep in the tub, wonderful. Washing my hair with my scented shampoo, as I turned the water to wash it, I couldn't tell if the warm water cascading down my cheeks was only that of the shower or that mixed with my tears. Finally finishing up, I wrapped myself in a towel and walked out of the bathroom. _5:07_. I had school soon…

Getting ready for school and wearing concelear, I made my way downstairs. I was extremely tired, but still attempted to be careful. As I neared the door, I didn't see the empty beer bottle next to me. Stepping on it, I fell into a near by drawer. Like a domino affect, the vase on said drawer fell and shattered, the water pooling in one area. _Oh no._

"What the hell," my father woke up and began to curse. Lifting my gaze to meet his, I saw a fire behind his eyes. Before any more damage could be done, I made my way to the door and fund it open. Not bothering to close the door, I sprinted my way to school. It wasn't raining, but there were clouds in the sky. The sun was hidden.

Thanking my coach and all those speed drills we do every day, I didn't stop once. I knew he wouldn't follow me nor do anything in public, but I wouldn't dare risk anything. I didn't stop running until I reached my locker inside the school. Attempting to catch my breathe; I began my way to class forcing my heart rate down.

I tried to not let it bother me all day, but I knew I would eventually have to face him. I was unusually quiet all day but still paid lots of attention in class. What happened this morning caused my resolution to do well in school to become stronger. My friends were giving me weird looks all day, but didn't bring anything up. I greeted Ichigo in class and he seemed to be in a happier mood then yesterday. The first thing he asked me was if I made it home alright, he reminded me s much of my best friends.

"Orihime, you made it home fine?" He asked.

"Yes Ichigo, thank you."

"Wa wa wait, Orihime? Ichigo walked you home?" Rukia said, followed by a grinning Nel.

"Yeah, why?" I asked.

"Oh, Nothing, nothing at all," Nell added, still grinning.

"Well clearly its something," Ichigo said with a scowl, "would you like to tell me what Nel?"

"Nope Itsyugo."

"Stop questioning her Ichigo," Rukia scowled, eventually getting into an argument with Ichigo.

As the school day was quickly coming to an end, I began to panic. The bell ringing signifying the end of class caused my heart rate to increase even more. We wouldn't have practice or meetings until the weather got better, for looking outside it was raining once again. Rukia and Nel had a project to work on and they had already left while Tatsuki was at the dojo. Walking by Rangiku, I turned to her and secretly asked her for help, a refuge. "Hey, umm Rangiku? I know this is random and probably horrible timing and I completely understand If you say no or anything, I know the blue men might be upset too. And I wouldn't forgive my self if they ever haunted you for it, oh no! Then the aliens would ally them and they would steal my spaceship bringing the world to an apocalypse an-"

"Yes Orihime?" Rangiku began to laugh.

"S-Sorry, b-but is it okay… Is it okay If I spend the night? Just tonight I-I promise," I said looking away.

"Of course Orihime! Problems at home?"

I automatically tensed after hearing that, "Sorry, I take that back," Rangiku added.

"N-No, its fine. But yeah, and thank you so much! I'll make it up to you!"

"Stop it Orihime, you're like my sister. I would do anything for you; you don't need to thank me."

I smiled at her, Rangiku literally just saved my life.

**What'd you think of the chapter? I'd love to know! Feedback is always appreciated!**

**until next time,**

**loverofliterature_111**


	4. Chapter 4

~Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo~

Enjoy the update! If you have any advice/ pointers for this story, feel free to review!

previous chapter...

"Stop it Orihime, you're like my sister. I would do anything for you, you don't need to thank me." I smiled at her, Rangiku literally just saved my life.

**Chp 4**

**Novi **

"So Hime, how was your day?" She asked me.

"I've had better days," I responded. There was no way I was going to tell her the whole story anytime soon, but I knew she understood. It's not like she wasn't keeping anything from us either. Humming in response, she opened up the door to her house.

"Rangikuuuu! Lunch Is ready!" Mrs. Matsumoto yelled from the kitchen.

"Orihime's over!" Rangiku yelled back.

"Welcome welcome Hime! Foods ready!" Mrs. Matsumoto yelled.

"STOP YELLING," a voice was heard from upstairs.

"Sorry Shiro!" The mother and daughter pair yelled in sync.

Holding back a giggle, I walked to there kitchen. "Thank you Mrs. Matsumoto!"

"Any time Orihime, I made red bean paste stew! I hope your hungry!"

"Always am!" Orihime said before being pulled upstairs by the one and only Rangiku.

After having a wonderful lunch and doing homework, my fatigue from yesterday and today caught up to me. I ended up passing out cold on Rangiku's desk.

"Oh hime, there's a bed right there..." She whispered to me. Skipping dinner since Rangiku's efforts of trying to wake me up were in vain, I caught up on all my sleep. We had school the next morning and I had managed to wake on my own. Before entering the bathroom, I grabbed a pair of extra school attire and took a quick shower. In a rush, I forgot to look in the mirror when I put my clothing on.

"Sorry for sleeping in Rangiku, I'm such a heavy sleeper! Good thing you took a shower before me right?"

"It's alright Hime, anywa-" turning around she stopped her sentence. The easy going expression fell from her face and one of shock took over. "O-Orihime?"

"...yes?"

"What happened?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You have a bruise," as she said that, I froze.

How could I forget?! I can't lie to her, but I can't tell her the truth. I stood there silent for a few minutes.

"Did you fall in the shower?"

"No."

"Was it on accident?" She further questioned.

"We're going to be late for school Rangiku.."

"Is this why you wanted to stay over? Orihime are your parents hurting you?"

"Rangiku were going to be late for school! This was nothing, can I just borrow some makeup?"

"Y-yeah," walking to her drawer she handed me her bag.

The walk to school was awkward and silent, I could tell Rangiku was waiting for me to say something, but I wasn't ready. I felt bad I was keeping this from her, but I just couldn't say anything. Rangiku's also not the type to spread this around school or tell anyone else, so I wasn't worried about that. I was just hoping for now she would just not bring it up...

"Do you want to come over again?" She asked me.

"N-no it's fine thank you though."

"Orihime, I'm being serious. This isn't something you can expect me to just drop..."

"I know and I'm sorry but please just- it's too soon, I promise I'll be more careful."

"Can we talk after school?"

"Yeah," I gave her a small smile letting her know everything was okay.

As I walked into class and sat in my seat, I began to think over all that's happened. I can't go back to that house. I'd been saving up money here and there throughout the years and Sora would bring me large amounts after he would visit. I could use that as a scape goat for now and start looking for a job.  
I could finally get away, on my own.

"Miss. Inoue," Mrs. Oto called my name.

"Yes?"

"You are wanted at the office," she said.

"A-alright," Rangiku couldn't have? No she's not like that, but what if? May be it's something else? 'Ooohs' were heard and 'the smart girl got in trouble.'

Walking out of the class room, all eyes were on me. Including Tatsuki and Ichigo, who both had a worried expression on there face. As I made my way to the office I couldn't help the goosebumps I got. Stepping into the cubicle, I didn't know what to expect.

"Orihime?" I heard my name called.

"Sora!" Turning around, I saw the form of my brother.

"Sora..." Running up to him, I gave him a hug. "I missed you," I said into his chest.

"I missed you too little one, how ya been?"

I didn't respond.

"Orihime?"

"I'm so happy your here!"

"What happened?" He questioned.

Looking up at him, with my face alone he saw this wasn't the place to talk.

"Alright, well I signed you out of school for the day. I only have a few hours of a break and then.. Well work calls."

"There's this new cafe, you will love it!" Walking together my brother told me about all he's done for the past few months, keeping out larger details and such.

"So what happened when I was gone?" I could tell he wanted to know but I saw a twinge of guilt on his expression.

"Sora, this non of it is your fault."

"Orihime." He warned. Sighing I began. I told him about mom leaving and dad acting up, I kept the beating part out.

"I-I'm scared, I don't want to be there when he does something to hurt me. So I'm planning to find my own place, I have money saved up so I'll be fine for the next few months and I'll get a job, it'll be fine." I was trying to convince the both of us.

"I'll help you," Sora said to me.

"Thank you," I whispered back.

"So he hasn't touched you?"

"No," I tried to sound convincing. Looking at the watch on his wrist he sighed, "Alright, well I have to go now. Be careful Hime, I love you." Giving me a hug, he passed me an envelope.

My allowance.

I spent the rest of the day looking for a place I could call home. I managed to find a small run down apartment, but it was much better then where I lived with father. It was cramped and not in the best of neighborhoods, but I didn't care. It was a little farther from my school, but it was something I could deal with.

It was perfect.

I could start all over again here, I was safe. Splitting up my remaining money, I had the rent for the next few months and the pay for food. I had just enough left for clothing, all I needed now was a job. Sighing, I walked over to the small mattress with stains on it. Lying down, I felt so free.

* * *

What did you think so far? I would love to know!

until next time,

loverofliterature_111


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